The Gargoyle Queen
by BlueJV
Summary: Betty's escape from the Sister's of Quiet Mercy never happened. She is trapped and at the fingertips of the Man in Black, and he knows exactly how to use her. Will her friends be able to find her and rescue her from becoming the instrument of Riverdale's demise? I was unhappy with the direction that the show went following S3 E7. Hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

"This has to work, or I am totally screwed." Betty whispered to herself as she initiated her plan of escape from this prison of inhumane biblical torture. She sat in an armchair by the window, away from where the rest of the kids including Ethel were playing a game of Gryphons and Gargoyles. She was so invested in their game that it had been nearly an hour since Betty had received a hateful glare from Ethel.

Betty pulled her burgundy cardigan closer around her shoulders. There was a chill in the air and she felt a sense of dread building within her chest as the time to initiate her plan of escape drew closer. She wished Jughead were here with her or that he at least knew where she was and would be waiting for her when she escaped. But Betty knew that she was on her own. The only person that knew she was here was her mother who ran off to the Farm, committed to the idea that her daughter would be safe with the Sisters.

"Betty why don't you come play with us? We are having so much fun you should join! I promise it will help you feel better, and the Sisters say that whoever plays the best will get extra candy!" One of the girls playing G&G said.

Looking over at the game of Gryphons and Gargoyles going on nearby Betty's heart filled with worry. All of these kids were deep in the drug induced hallucination caused by the 'candy' they all so thoroughly enjoyed. She felt responsible for them, being the only person that knew the extent of the mistreatment and experimentation going on within the walls of this old and secretive organization.

"No thanks, I actually have to go to the bathroom, but maybe when I get back." Betty replied.

"What? Is the great Betty Cooper too good to play a simple game with us? This is just Riverdale high all over again. The King says that this is part of how we honor him, and you Betty are as dishonorable as they come. The King told me so himself." Ethel said, sneering at Betty from across the room.

"Well then the King must like you very much. Maybe you can honor him enough for the both of us" Betty said. It was difficult for her to take the sarcasm out of her voice as she said it and Ethel's frown got even deeper somehow.

"I'm not going to help you Betty. Not after how you and your friends have treated me and my friends for our whole lives." Ethel spat back.

"Sounds great Ethel, keep up the good work" Said Betty, standing to leave.

Ethel seemed to quit because she turned back to her game without another glance at Betty as she walked past the zombified kids. She was being sure to keep calm and to head in what at least appeared to be the direction of the bathroom in case anyone happened to wonder where she was going.

She walked as normally and calmly as she could, trying to copy the slow and detached gait of a normal resident of the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Since she had arrived, Betty had been doing nothing but doing her best to fit in with the other girls, gather her intel, and get out unscathed. Tonight she would finally be able to escape with enough evidence to figure out how to take down Hiram Lodge. Damn her irrational mother for putting her, however unknowingly, in the one place that she needed to be for the sake of investigation, but also desperately needed to leave before she became one of the fizzle rocks addicted G&G zombies.

Riverdale had been successfully isolated, and in the process Hiram Lodge had managed to isolate Betty and her friends from each other. Nobody knew where she had gone, and despite her best efforts, there had not been any way to get a message out to any of them. Last she heard Jughead was gone, running off with Archie to help keep him safe. She had no idea what had happened to Veronica since the quarantine. She hoped they were all safe, and not trapped in the lion's den like she was.

Thinking mostly of her friends as a distraction, Betty continued down the linoleum tiled hallway of the sisters, and towards and lesser used door leading to the basement. It was locked, but after a moment of digging, Betty pulled the single paper clip she had managed to acquire out of her pocket and stuck it into the lock on the door.

The town's quarantine had lead many people to do crazy things, her mother being of the most notable. Tossing her into this place was the biggest mistake she could have made. Betty knew her mother had good intentions and a weird affinity for a place that's known to torment children. But it still felt cruel to be there for her 'safety' when this was in fact probably one of the least safe places for Riverdale's troubled youth who were unknowingly being turned into Mr. Lodge's lab rats.

Finally, the lock clicked into place and Betty opened the door just wide enough to slip in beyond it, shutting it quietly, and making sure to lock it again behind her. It would not stop sister Woodhouse from coming after her but a few extra seconds could be all she needed to ensure her escape, and she needed to escape.

Betty's mind raced through the volumes of critical information that she had learned while inside the Sisters. There was so much she needed to tell Jughead and Veronica. Together they could use the information to destroy Mr. Lodge's hold over Riverdale. In her mind, this information meant everything, and she ran like her life depended on it. But, what the rest of Riverdale didn't know was that their lives depended on it too. Nobody was aware that their fate and the rest of their town's fate, was in the hands of a young blonde woman running for her life with essential missing pieces of information to help save Riverdale.

Betty could feel the change in the air inside of the damp basement as she slipped quietly behind the service door leading down to the catacombs. She sprinted for the door marked with an 'X' in the basement of the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. It was the very same door that was used to break Cheryl out.

"Finally I can get the hell out of here" Betty said as she practically slammed her body against the door coming to a hard stop from her sprint.

No way in hell was she going to let that evil man get away with taking over all of Riverdale, on top of using teenagers as lab rats. It was even colder down here, and she wished she had more than just her sweater from the Sister's to keep her warm on the way home.

Betty grasped the door handle and almost let out a sigh of relief when the old door pulled open easily, but it was not the passageway to freedom that her whole plan had hinged on. A new cinderblock wall had been built right where the doorway was. Apparently, the Sister's had found the escape hatch.

She stared wide eyed at the brick wall where the tunnel entrance was, slamming her fist into it in frustration.

"This can't be happening" She said through clenched teeth.

Now in a panic, Betty began trying to think of a plan B. Her breath started to come in shallower gasps as she realized she had no plan B. This was the only way out any of them had known of. She was more worried than ever about staying here as long as the Sisters were going to use her and all the other girls as Hiram's guinea pigs. There had to be another way, she needed to get help and get out of here before they caught on to the fact that she was still lucid. Betty slammed her palm into the stone wall blocking her tunnel to freedom one last time before turning around to move on.

When she did turn around, Betty was startled when she came face to face with Sister Woodhouse backed by two of the biggest male orderlies she had yet to see. Sister Woodhouse's expression was blank, and she simply stared at Betty with her ice cold and unfeeling eyes.

"We had that sealed for the safety of the patients miss Cooper. We wouldn't want to let you out of here before our work is complete." The nun's face slowly contorted into a sadistic smile as she spoke. "Now Elizabeth, you must be quite terrified to be down here all on your own. Why don't you have some candy and we can take you back upstairs where it is safe and warm. I'm sure the King will want to know why you are down here, trying to leave the safety that we have provided here for people like you. Clearly, he has yet to reach you like he has the other girls." Sister Woodhouse gestured to one of the orderlies who pulled a small paper cup out from behind his back.

"Don't worry Elizabeth; we are going to make you all better. We hoped that bunking you with your friend Ethel would help. She has been a lovely addition to our home and we thought she might help you to adjust to how we do things here. Turns out she was right, and you and your meddlesome ways need to be dealt with more aggressively" Sister Woodhouse said, retrieving the cup.

"What are you doing?" Betty was horrified as the two large orderlies came forward and grabbed her.

"Don't touch me, I just got lost I didn't know how to get back upstairs!" Betty yelled desperately playing innocent.

It didn't work, and the orderlies pinned her roughly back against the wall. She tried to fight, but she was no match for the men who were at least two or three times her size. They held her so tightly that she could almost feel the hand shaped bruises appearing on her upper arms.

"This is insane! You can't do this!" Betty shouted, as Sister Woodhouse took a step towards her with the cup full of drugs in her hand.

The nun rattled the fizzle rocks around in the cup, and said, "Oh dear Elizabeth, looks like you haven't been taking your candy. If you're going to get better, you need to do as you are told. Otherwise, I will personally make sure that nobody will hear you scream. Well, other than the King of course."

Betty sealed her lips shut, as the paper cup full of fizzle rocks was shoved up to her mouth. She was determined not to ingest any of Hiram Lodge's poison, but before she knew it, her mouth was forced open by a large sweaty man's hand, one of the orderlies, and then she tasted the sweet fizz of the drug laced candy. The same sweaty palm covered her mouth and nose so she couldn't breathe.

"Swallow it or suffocate." A man's voice growled into her ear.

Betty swallowed, the hand left her face, and she drew in a ragged breath of air. A sense of defeat was creeping into her mind; this was the worst possible turn of events.

The orderlies began to pull her away from the wall, and as the drugs took over she found herself falling forwards. They must have given her a larger dose because she didn't remember feeling like she was floating and the limpness in her body was a new reaction as well. She sank into the grasp of the orderlies who began dragging her back down the hallway, and deeper into the den of evil.

"The new drugs seem to be working exactly as expected. Take her to see the King" Sister Woodhouse ordered walking behind the orderlies and her new experiment.

They reached an old looking wooden door leading to an ornately decorated chamber that resembled an entranceway to a chapel. Even with the drugs coursing through her body Betty knew that this was definitely not a chapel she wanted to enter.

The larger orderly spoke, "I hope you enjoy your audience with your King, Miss. He will be sure to teach you obedience. It's not safe for young women like you to be running around in the streets with a serial killer, or probably several serial killers. Not to mention the gangs running around town."

Chuckling, the man reached with the arm not holding onto Betty and pulled open one of the large wooden doors. Betty tried to fight but she was no match for both of the orderlies who easily tossed the increasingly incoherent girl ono the stone floor beyond the doorway.

She fell to the ground hard, her limp body was not cooperative as she tried to break her fall and she hit the ground shoulder first. Pain exploded down her arm and across her back as Betty lay there, trying to catch her breath and gather her thoughts that were only getting increasingly muddled by the drugs and the pain.

"Hello Elizabeth, come to share your darkness with your King? I'm quite certain that I could put someone like you to good use." A low and inhuman voice said from somewhere behind her further in the room.

Betty had landed facing the door, lying on her side she struggled to roll onto her back to see who was speaking to her. Finally when she was able to see, Betty looked up horrified to see a creature of nightmares. A large winged beast was perched before her on a raised pedestal. Its eyes glowed yellow, and it loomed over her with a sneer on its grotesque face. It was the actual Gargoyle King. Not Hiram Lodge, but an actual creature, here at the Sister's. He was real, and she was trapped inside his lair and at his mercy until her human captors decided she had suffered enough of his wrath to obey.


	2. Chapter 2

Archie and Jughead were both exhausted. The journey to get to Ohio to be with Gladys and Jellybean had tired them out and they were both ready to crash for the night.

Jughead sat on his bed across from Archie and stared down at his hands. He wanted to be there helping his friend stay safe from Hiram, but Jughead secretly longed to be back in Riverdale on the front lines with Betty and the Serpents, fighting back against the tyranny of Hiram and the Ghoulies.

He picked up his phone and checked it for what felt like the thousandth time, hoping Betty had finally sent him a message. Jug had left her a number for a prepaid phone to reach him at before he had left but had yet to get any response.

Archie watched as his friend waited for any indication that his girlfriend was okay. This was hard on both of them, but leaving had been Archie's best option. Jughead was a good friend for coming along, but Archie understood how he felt. He missed Veronica and their old life together, the life that all of them had together, before everything started to go to Hell.

"Heard anything from Betty? I'd love to know how things are going back home" Archie said, from where he was sprawled on his bed, pretending internally that he was someone else, only trapped in this insane life where he had been driven out of his home town by a power hungry mobster.

"I'm starting to get worried. I know things were a bit crazy when we left but it isn't like Betty to go radio silent like this. Especially now" Jughead replied, placing the phone back down next to him, a blank and defeated expression on his face.

"I don't know Jug, she's probably just been busy. You know how Betty gets, she's tough and she doesn't quit. I wouldn't worry" Archie said.

"You are probably right Archie but this is Betty we are talking about. Something about it just still isn't sitting right with me. I can't shake the feeling that things have gone wrong somehow, well even more wrong, since we left. It's not like her to leave me out of the loop like this during an investigation. I just want to know that she is okay."

"Jug, it's only been a few days. How much really could have gone wrong in that amount of time? I'm sure Betty is just busy investigating like you said she was doing while you were busy playing G & G."

Jughead buried his head in his hands, knotting his fingers through his hair. "I wish I hadn't gotten so caught up with that stupid game. This is probably because I was so focused on ascension that I didn't help her investigate. How could I possibly have though that ascension was the answer to this? What a joke. Maybe Betty would bother to tell me what's going on now if I hadn't been so stupid."

"Stop, Betty loves you, I'm sure she's just busy" Archie replied, hoping to soothe his friend's worries even though his own were growing exponentially.

"I hope so. Riverdale has become a place of darkness at the hands of Hiram Loge, I don't think anyone there is safe. Especially not Betty, she's too close to all of this."

Archie shook his head, "look Jug if you need to go back I get it. I can't sit here and watch you suffer just like everyone back home. I'm the one that needed to leave, not you. And besides, I will be perfectly safe here with your mom and Jellybean."

Jughead looked around the small backroom of the garage where he and Archie were staying. He was torn, seeing his mom and sister had been strange but also great. He had missed them, but there were more important things he had to take care of back home. Thinking about Betty left alone in that town with her brainwashed mother on top of what Hiram Lodge might do without him there worried him. The longer he was away, the more Jughead feared that the home he left would not be the same as the place he returned to.

"Look, I know you are worried about Betty and the Serpents. You need to be there Jughead. You are the Serpent King now, and your crew needs a leader, someone who knows exactly what Hiram is capable of. You were the one who knew all along that he wasn't a good man even when I was stupid enough to believe him over you and my dad. Let's hope the Serpents are smarter than I was, and can help finally put an end to his reign of terror over Riverdale. This is my fight Jug. Running away from Riverdale was my decision and I need to see this through, but you don't. Having you with me, as great as it is Jug, I just feel like I'm keeping you away from where you need to be right now."

"First the Black Hood and now Hiram Lodge. Where do you think this will end Archie? With all of us dead? Will we ever get to be normal teenagers again?" Jughead asked, standing to pace across the room.

"I don't know how this is going to end, but I do know that neither of us will ever get a good night of sleep knowing that we didn't do what we had to, to stop Hiram. Jug, I think you already know this, but I really think you need to get back to Riverdale. Talk to Betty, find out what she knows, and get any evidence you can against Mr. Lodge. You are just as much of a thorn in his side as I am Jughead. You have been working against him from the beginning, and honestly, I don't think we can stop him without you."

What his friend was saying made sense, but he still felt weird about leaving his pal Archie behind on the run from a criminal. There was no denying, however, that his worry for Betty was getting the better of him, and Archie was right. The Serpents need their leader, especially now.

Jughead's anxious pacing continued. "You're right Arch, Riverdale, Betty, and the Serpents need me. But will you be okay alone? I can't just abandon you in Ohio. Veronica would kill me the second I got back to town without you."

"You are absolutely right sugar," Gladys said from the doorway where she had quietly been listening in on the boy's conversation. "Let me keep red safe here. He's right Jughead. It seems to me like you have to get back to Riverdale. There's work to be done boy." She said before walking further into the room to sit down near Archie.

"There's something I need to tell you boys, come sit down Jug you need to hear this, it's about that Cooper girl you are so smitten with." Gladys said with a somber look on her face as she waited for Jughead to sit down with her and Archie.

Jughead's face twisted into a deep frown, the lines on his forehead creasing with worry about what his mother was going to say.

"What is it mom? Did something happen back home?" He asked sitting down and praying that her news was that Betty was safe, even if she did end up at that awful farm with her mom and sister, at least she would be safer there.

"Archie, I just got off the phone with your father. I wanted to let old Freddie Andrews know that his boy was alright and safe with us here. He's fine, but he told me some pretty disturbing things about what's happening back in Riverdale." Gladys said.

"What do you mean? Did something happen to Betty?" Jughead asked his voice full of fear and near panic as he stared wide eyed at his mother, waiting for answers.

Gladys looked at them sternly and said, "I don't want either of you boys getting any rash ideas into your head, especially not you Jughead. There is a lot at stake here and you both need to keep your wits about you at all times, you hear me?"

"Yes, mam" Archie and Jughead replied.

"Freddy was saying that no one has been home at the Cooper residence for nearly a week. He said that he saw Alice and Polly leave with their bags packed but he said for sure that Betty wasn't with him."

"Well that makes sense, Betty would never have agreed to go to the farm with them. She's probably hiding out at Dilton's bunker or something." Archie said.

"That's what your dad thought too Red. That is until Miss Veronica knocked on his door. She has been looking for Betty too, calling and texting her, apparently nobody has heard anything. Freddy tried to call Mrs. Cooper, but her number wasn't in service. It's probably one of those weird cult anti-technology things where you can't have a phone. Those people are out of their minds, poor Alice must have been desperate after Hal got locked up to end up in with them."

"Mom, what are you saying? What happened to Betty?" Jughead asked, trying to keep from exploding with fear and anger at himself for leaving, and at Hiram for causing all of this in the first place.

"Nobody knows Jughead. It's as if she just disappeared." Gladys said.

"Well I guess I am heading home in the morning". Jughead said. "There's work to be done back in Riverdale."


	3. Chapter 3

Veronica woke up confused. Why wasn't she in her queen size feather bed under her cashmere blanket? She sat up, stretching, her muscles sore from sleeping in the booth at Le Bon Nuit. It had been difficult adjusting since she had walked out on her dictator-like monster of a father and tread out on her own. Her speakeasy may not have had the comforts of the Pembrooke, but at least it was hers, and currently her only escape from her parents' criminal activity and cobra like parenting strategy.

Veronica slipped her feet into her satin slippers and walked over to the bar. There was a hot cup of coffee waiting for her next to her favourite seat. It had the perfect view of the glory of her speakeasy and was still central enough for great acoustics and interaction with her guests.

"Praise you, Pop Tate" Veronica said as she lifted her cup of coffee in triumph before taking her first sip.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and set it down on the wooden surface of the bar. Veronica's face fell when she saw that Betty hadn't replied to any of her calls or messages. It had been days since the quarantine, and she had heard nothing from her best friend. It was getting spooky to say the least.

"What on earth is going on with B, I wonder." Veronica muttered to herself. She walked back over to the booth she had slept in and began to pack up her blanket and stash it in the office when her phone rang, caller ID displaying an unfamiliar number.

"Hello" she said questioningly, half expecting it to be a new Black Hood looking for another Riverdale teen to emotionally torment.

"Veronica, it's me. Have you heard from Betty?"

"Jughead? No, Betty's been M.I.A. What about you, what about Archie? Is he okay?" her voice sped up as she spoke, her nerves rising with Jughead's unexpected call. She would have thought Archie would be the one to call her. Unless something bad had happened to him since they left.

"Archie is fine he's safe I have someone looking after him. Can you meet me at Pop's as soon as possible? We need to talk." He said.

"Sure Jones. Give me an hour and I'll be there." Veronica hung up and stared questioningly at her phone screen. This could not be good.

'I guess Jughead wouldn't know that I have been calling this little piece of sub ground level tranquility home' Veronica thought to herself as she headed into the office for her change of clothes.

About an hour later, Veronica strut upstairs into Pop's diner. She said her good morning to Pop and then spotted Jughead in their usual booth looking like he was brooding more than usual.

Jughead sat in the booth alone, sipping on his coffee. It was only 9am and he was exhausted. He had left Ohio before sunrise that morning so he could get to Riverdale as early as possible. There was work to be done. The ride here on his bike had been long but it felt good flying down the familiar roads back to the town that he and his friends called home.

He had called Veronica shortly after stopping by Betty's house hoping to see if there were any clues left there that would tell him how to find her. A small part of him hoped he would find her there, hiding secretly in the house alone, even though he knew that would statistically never happen. It had been days and no one had seen her. Either she couldn't communicate with them for some reason or she didn't want to, and both options he found deeply disturbing. He was surprised to find that the house looked exactly as it always had. There were no signs that anyone had packed much of anything for a trip except maybe the absence of Mrs. Cooper's toothbrush from the bathroom. But, Jughead was concerned to find that Betty's toothbrush was still there, and that her phone was lying face down on the kitchen counter, battery now long dead.

Looking around the house further he could tell that no one had been home in at least a few days. Betty's bed was still made, and her room looked untouched from the last time he had been here. That was only the day before he left with Archie. He could still see the same clothes lying on the floor, the ones he had taken off her the last time he had touched her perfect skin and put his mouth against her perfect pink lips. It was odd considering perfect Alice Cooper would have made Betty pick them up by now if she hadn't preemptively done it herself.

The thing that had terrified him the most was the phone. He had charged it, and it turned on to reveal nearly a week's worth of missed calls and messages. Fear encased his heart as he left the Cooper house and headed to Pop's to meet Veronica.

"Hey Jughead, so what's up? Where's Archie? And why are you asking about Betty? Do you know something?" Veronica asked hastily sliding into the booth across from him.

"I'm fine, Archie is fine. He's safe with my mom and Jellybean. Have you heard anything from Betty?"

"No, I was going to ask you the same. I haven't heard anything from B in days. My mom said that Ms. Cooper ran off to the Farm or something. Apparently she heard that much from Archie's dad, but I haven't heard anything about Betty. I'm assuming she is probably there with her mom hiding out with those culty farmies until the endless storm that is Riverdale has finally subsided." Veronica said.

"Betty would never agree to go there. She must be somewhere else, but Veronica I found her phone at her house." Jughead said.

"What do you mean you found her phone?"

"It was just lying on the counter in the kitchen, with all these unread messages on it, and the house looks like nobody has been there in days." Jughead said, watching the frown on Veronica's face deepen as she began to realize the same thing that he had only an hour earlier. He slid the phone across the table to her and Veronica picked it up and saw the list of her own unread messages sent to Betty over the days she had apparently been missing.

"So you think something nefarious is going down with Betty." Jughead nodded, "Alright Jones, I am on board with your theory. I also don't think for a second that our girl would agree to go to that god awful farm with her mom, but this is straight up spooky."

"Right?" Jughead said. "This is Betty we are talking about. It wouldn't be like her to just disappear like this. And she never forgets her phone. Even if she was at the farm she would have told us something, she would have at least told me she was alright."

"You might be onto something. We need to find out where she is and if she's okay. Now." Veronica said, panic seeping into her voice.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I hope you are enjoying reading this story so far. I have been posting some of what I had already written and edited. I have a bit of work to do to get the rest of this ready for you to read to hang in there. I will continue to publish chapters at my leisure. I write regularly, but sometimes I get busy, as we all do. I intend to complete this story, I have a pretty good idea of how things are going to play out, and right now I have the writing bug bad.

All the best!

Blue


	4. Chapter 4

The whole town had been too busy dealing with the fallout from the quarantine that it drove a temporary wedge between friend and neighbour. Riverdale was heading down a dark road, one full of corruption, deceit, and the absence of trust. The Man in Black's grip on the very soul of the town was tightening and threatening to choke all of the light, and all of the good out of the people of Riverdale. The streets were full of homes with all of the curtains drawn closed. Some people had left while others were laying low in their homes until the black cloud of the unknown illness causing the seizures was discovered.

Once the men in hazmat suits had done their investigation things did go back to normal, but progress was slow. It was as though the town had been paralyzed by a fog of confusion and fear about what trouble awaited them every minute, of every day. In the wake of all the fear and despair that had befallen the town of Riverdale, it seemed like their golden girl, the perfect Betty Cooper, had slipped through the cracks and into the Sisters of Quiet Mercy unnoticed.

Betty woke up the next morning knowing she was no longer in Riverdale, at least not the Riverdale she grew up in and loved. She felt her body drenched in a layer of cold sweat as she lay on a cot in a small cement room. She kept having nightmares about the Gargoyle King, always looming over her, taunting her. Even asleep, she was not allowed any reprieve from the daily horrors of life at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Her dreams began immediately when she closed her eyes. Images of the things she had seen in the Gargoyle King's chamber. Hearing his words as he told her that she was alone now, and compliance was the only path to true salvation in the kingdom of Eldervair.

Betty lay in bed shaking, remembering the terrifying first 48 hours she had spent with the Gargoyle King. After her escape, she was to learn a lesson being left alone in his chamber. At the end of it, she feared him, deeply. His words and his touch burned her in ways she couldn't describe.

In her terror stricken memories, Betty could clearly remember how it felt, physically, when he had imposed his wrath upon her. She remembered chanting 'my king, my savior' over and over again hoping to please the king, to make it stop. She could not remember when or how she had gotten back to her room. It had not taken long for the drug induced hallucinations to become her new reality, and Betty embraced them without question.

The Gargoyle King was real, she still couldn't believe that such a creature existed. Her logical mind had tried desperately to disprove what she had witnessed but, the images of the winged beast towering over her, and raking its claws against her skin were burned into her memory.

"My king, my savior." Betty whispered to herself, sitting on the edge of her bed with her head in her hands. She had begun each day since her foiled escape in the same way. It was her prayer that she would not do anything that day to upset the King and invoke his wrath.

Heavy footsteps, multiple pairs, were echoing down the corridor outsider of her room. Moments later Sister Woodhouse and another orderly entered.

Sister Woodhouse looked at Betty with a twisted smile and said, "Good morning Elizabeth."

Turning to the orderly she said, "This one is a very special patient. Make sure she gets the proper dosage as per his orders."

Sister Woodhouse then approached Betty and stood in front of her, arms crossed.

"Open up dear, it is time for your candy." Sister Woodhouse said as the nurse stepped out from behind her holding a paper cup out to Betty.

The nurse had a no nonsense look on her wrinkled face. Her cold stare reminded Betty of the dark and empty eyes of the Gargoyle King as she loomed over her. Betty accepted the paper cup and swallowed the fizzle rocks without protest. Not that she had a choice, they would force them down her throat and send her to the king for punishment if she didn't. There was no way that she could put herself through that again.

The candy tasted different today, and not just in flavor. Normally the cherry flavor of the fizzle rocks was the most pleasant part of having drugs forced into her system. But today, the cherry flavor was replaced by something else, something medicinal. The cherry flavor was still there. Betty could just taste it lingering on her tongue but it was heavily overpowered by a strong pharmaceutical taste.

"Good job girlie, I am glad to see that your time with the King has taught you a lesson in obedience. Your mother said that she had quite a lot of trouble trying to keep you in line Elizabeth, use your time here wisely. This place will make you into the young woman you were destined to be, if only you let it."

A wicked smile played on the lips of Sister Woodhouse. Watching the ever problematic Elizabeth Cooper comply this easily was a treat. Her talk with the Man in Black the night before had gone very well when she revealed exactly which Riverdale girl had come to stay with them at the Sister's. Hiram proved to be very interested in Miss Cooper. Her mother truly had perfect timing in dropping her off here when she did. Sister Woodhouse was looking forward to rehabilitating Elizabeth and turning her into a proper young lady of The Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Not to mention the money that she would need it to sustain their way of life within the safety of the building walls, away from the unfair scrutiny of the world.

Sister Woodhouse gave one last glance to Betty before nodding to the nurse and leaving the two of them alone in the room.

The nurse looked down at the girl, she was no longer coherent. Not that she had been in the first place. The fresh dose of the new drugs was quickly taking hold. The woman took note of the dark circles under her eyes and the hollowed out look to her cheeks satisfied that Elizabeth Cooper was now a junkie. Their junkie, and oh how she loved to watch those girls squirm under the influence. These drugs truly were a nasty creation. The hallucinations were so vivid that the Man in Black had these girls talking to and worshiping a stone gargoyle statue as if it was a real king. Within a matter of days the addiction sets in, and the person's connection to reality outside of the realm of Eldervair becomes more and more tenuous. It was a treat to watch.

The orderly smiled down at Betty. The girl was clearly high, her head was lolling to the side and her muscles looked limp and lifeless. Her head was hanging loosely at her shoulders, and the orderly thought that had she seen her from far away she might have mistaken her for a life sized rag doll. These new drugs clearly worked quick and well with the added ingredients.

"We are going to help you dear, but it's time to get you cleaned up and out to the yard for chores with the other girls. Now, get dressed and be ready to go in 10 minutes or there will be consequences. A young lady should always be on time for her engagements." The nurse said, leaving Betty to change dropping a pile of fresh clothing down on the bed next to her.

In her drug addled state, Betty slowly and shakily got to her feet. Thinking was hard. Too hard, as her thoughts swirled and terrifying images of the Gargoyle King plagued her mind. She stumbled trying to pull off her clothes, unable to think of anything other than what might happen to her back in his chamber if she didn't get dressed fast enough.

"I won't disappoint you my king." Betty said to herself as she slowly worked through putting on the clean clothes.

She nearly toppled over as she lifted her foot to pull on her stockings, but she caught herself on the bed and plopped down. She was dizzy, and her movements felt like they were taking place under water. Betty knew she didn't have much time before she would get in trouble for taking too long. If only she didn't feel like there was a current of water pushing her one way or the other whenever she tried to stand straight, maybe she could get dressed in a reasonable amount of time.

As the minutes ticked by, Betty began more and more frantically pulling at her clothing. She had already been sent to see the King once for being late. She did not want to go back. The second punishment for the same offence was worlds worse than the first one. The King had said as much the last time, and Betty feared for what that could possibly mean.

The nuns ushered the girls out to the yard in a single file line. Nobody strayed, and they walked in complete silence. Betty dragged her feet, her legs felt like jelly beneath her. She tried not to look around as they walked. Something about all the color and sunlight overwhelmed her, and Betty felt nauseous just thinking about all the commotion going on outside of the hazy pharmaceutically induced prison that her mind was in. Staring down at her feet made her feel grounded, or at least as grounded as it was possible for her to feel.

Sometimes, in the back of her mind there was a young man's voice. His words sounded kind even though she couldn't always make out what he was saying. When she closed her eyes, she could almost see his silhouette, and she could clearly picture his hat. It was probably because of the distinctive crown shape.

These memories were becoming less frequent for Betty, whose time in Hiram's twisted grasp was dragging on for too long. Even someone like Elizabeth Cooper, the girl who caught the Black Hood, had a breaking point. The drugs and the mental torment were bringing her closer and closer to the edge every day. The last strands of her sanity were threatening to break as she was drawn deeper and deeper into the Gargoyle King's twisted world. The drugs were only making it easier for them to break her.

She had hoped Jughead would come for her. But she knew he had left with Archie, and the odds of him even knowing that she was missing were slim to none. What Betty didn't know as she knelt in the garden doing the King's work to keep their home pristine, was that there was someone watching, and that her freedom would come sooner than she expected. The question was, when her freedom did finally come, would there be enough of the old Betty left to save?


	5. Chapter 5

Moose wasn't answering again. This had to be the hundredth time this week that Kevin had called and not gotten an answer. He knew Moose had his own issues about them being together and everything, but it still hurt and Kevin's patience was slowly running out in more ways than one.

Kevin tossed his phone down on his bed, bored, and frustrated. The last few weeks were hard, the town was going downhill and all of his friends had somehow disappeared. He hadn't even heard from Veronica, which was shocking since she never missed Matcha Monday with him. Betty had been MIA for nearly a week now and Kevin thought it was about time he expanded his friend group to include people that actually answer their cell phones.

"Guess I will be having a lot of me time today. I thought mutual strife was supposed to help bring people together but here I am. Alone." Kevin said to himself, rolling his eyes.

He pulled a magazine out of his bag and got comfortable on his bed intending to read it. He was desperate to find out if they really had acquired the inside scoop on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. He had been all over the internet blogs about them, keeping tabs on their wedding plans, colors, and the conflict with the Queen. It didn't last long, he had only gotten so far as the first article when he knew that reading just wasn't going to cut it. His mind was wandering even as his eyes traipsed over the paparazzi photos of the prince and his soon to be bride. He needed some air.

Putting on his cutest pair of sweatpants and a shirt that he thought complimented his skin tone, Kevin headed downstairs and out of his house. His dad had not been home all day, he didn't say where he had gone but he was nowhere to be seen when Kevin had gotten up that morning. His father had been spending many days like that lately even though he was no longer the sheriff. Kevin knew better than to ask where he was going. His dad would never give him a straight answer about it anyway.

All his father had been saying lately was how Kevin should stay indoors. 'The town isn't safe anymore son' he would say nearly every chance he got. Kevin knew he was taking a risk, but he was careful, and today he was particularly desperate for a taste of more innocent times.

Kevin's feet pounded hard on the pavement as he pumped his arms willing his legs to move faster. He wanted to get a good sheen of sweat over his skin before he got to the woods. There weren't many other gay young men that Kevin knew of in Riverdale and Kevin knew he was among the few that were open about it. He knew that if he ran through the secluded Fox Forest long enough he would run into someone that found his gorgeous glistening skin and toned muscles attractive enough for at least a conversation.

Fox Forest was eerie as usual when Kevin finally got to the edge of the trail he usually ran down. It went in a perfect loop passed the creepy old building that was the Sisters of Quiet Mercy with those zombie patients. Despite the high creep factor of these woods, they also contained all of the best spots to meet other young men. Kevin hoped he would get lucky and meet a cute runaway from the nun's gay re-education program. Those ones were always ready for a minute of companionship after however much time they had spent being tortured within the walls of that hell hole.

Kevin ran for a while, stopping to catch his breath once he got close to the Sister's. He usually stopped somewhere nearby in case there was anyone waiting around in the woods for him to meet. He could hear muffled voices coming from the courtyard of the old building and Kevin turned to look at what was going on at the secretive home for troubled youth today. He took a few steps off the trail he had been running down and came through a cluster of bushes.

Kevin pushed a few branches aside and looked out over the courtyard at the Sisters. He could see a bunch of girls in blue dresses and red cardigans doing work in the sister's gardens. The nuns were standing around them, just watching. It reminded Kevin of prison guards watching prisoners. He half expected one of the patients to make a break for the property line. It sure would have been a treat to watch a bunch of nuns chase down one of their patients. From what Kevin could observe though, it did not seem like any of the patients were in a position to run away. Some were actually smiling and seemed pleased to be there, others appeared so lifeless and Kevin doubted if they even could run away if they wanted to.

"As if it wasn't bad enough they have to be stuck there they also use them for manual labour." Kevin said aloud to himself.

His hatred for the place bubbled up to the surface for a moment as he overlooked the grounds from his vantage point in the trees. The last guy he had met out in these woods, Hector, had escaped out the secret passage in the basement and told Kevin about the abuse that kids suffered inside of that place. It was horrible that it was even still allowed to exist. Not that anyone really knew that it did exist, which made it all the more horrible.

On this day, something was very, very, wrong. Kevin felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs when he noticed one particular girl sitting in the grass in the courtyard of the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. He was nearly in shock because right there in a group of other zombified young women, was one girl who looked terrifyingly familiar. Kevin strained his eyes to see closer, but from his position all he could make out was a head of familiar blond hair.

"There's no way it's her" Kevin said quietly to himself as he tried to find somewhere to go to get a closer look. He had to find out if the girl that nobody had seen, that had supposedly run off to join a cult with her mother, was in fact a prisoner of the nuns of evil. This would totally explain why she hadn't been answering any of his messages.

He walked down a much narrower, somewhat overgrown footpath that led to a corner of the Sister's fence. There were bushes and trees around so if he kept his wits about him, Kevin was sure he could get there unnoticed. This was the trail that kids used to escape since it led to the closest point to the tunnel exit.

Pushing some branches out of his way gently as he creeped forward, Kevin finally reached the fence line. He crouched down, careful not to be seen. This was a much better vantage point. He could clearly make out some of the features of the patient's faces from this close, and it didn't seem like any of the nuns knew that he was there. Looking through the wrought iron fence to locate the reason for his stealthy approach, he nearly threw up.

There she was. Betty Cooper.

He pulled out his phone and quickly got a photo of her to bring back to their friends. 'How could she have possibly ended up here? And why hasn't she escaped yet?' Kevin wondered to himself.

He waited a few minutes more before leaving to share his discovery. He watched as Betty worked diligently in the garden. She looked tired, the dark circles under her eyes were telling, along with the added looseness to her dress and the new hollowness to her cheekbones. Not to mention her face, which displayed no emotion, as her eyes stared straight in front of her cold and seemingly almost unaware of the subject of their gaze.

"This is very, very bad." Kevin whispered to himself, making sure his photo was halfway decent before running back out of the woods to find Veronica.

He pulled out his phone once he got to back out to the road and tried to call her. The phone rang endlessly until Veronica's voicemail message finally played.

"Veronica! This is an emergency I need you to call me back as soon as you get this. Why isn't anyone answering their phones? It's really important, please call me!" Kevin nearly shouted into his phone.

He stuffed the device back in his pocket and took off in a sprint back towards town. He needed to find help.


	6. Chapter 6

Jughead could barely eat. He had been absently pushing the food around his plate for a very long time, not thinking to take a single bite. They hadn't found a single clue telling them where Betty was or how to even begin looking for her, and he was getting more worried by the second. Getting food at Pop's wasn't even granting him the usual reprieve from the struggles of daily life that he cherished. His stomach spent most of its time in knots, increasing his fear about what had become of his girlfriend, and the Serpent Queen.

"Jones I swear if you don't put that fork down I just might stab you with it." Veronica said, with a serious look on her face.

Jughead made a show of placing his fork down with a look of mock fear on his face, and she looked back at him with an apologetic smile. It had been a long few days and there were both at their wits end with the search for Betty. Veronica had been diligently doing research on her laptop in the booth across from him. They were trying to get more information about the Farm, but there was strangely little to find.

"Don't cults usually advertise their rules and regulations? Like their doctrine or something?" Jughead asked.

"Apparently not this one. I haven't found anything else online about the farm or its location." She said, shutting her laptop in frustration. "All of the articles that even mention it are about Edgar Evernever and his so called life changing wisdom. There's nothing that mentions him in relation to the farm or anything about it. And, I have learned far too much about farming digging through all of these irrelevant results. My head will explode if I see one more picture of a cow in a field."

"There's something so off about Evernever and the Farm, I just haven't been able to put my finger on their particular brand of evil just yet. I still have a nagging feeling that Betty isn't there. If she is, I am sure she's not still there willingly. My gut tells me she's somewhere else."

Jughead glanced out the window, as if maybe the missing Betty Cooper herself would show up, coming to Pop's for a milkshake, like they always do.

He shook his head. "All of this is crazy. Betty wouldn't just disappear like this and not try to tell one of us. I've had some of the Serpents scouting the area looking for her since I got back but there's been no sign of her anywhere. Not a single clue to tell me where to look next."

The tension Jughead was feeling was evident in his posture. He was stiff as a board, mouth contorted into a tight frown and eyebrows knit closely together. It was as if he somehow managed to think just hard enough, Betty's location would become clear to him. This could not be the investigation that he couldn't solve. He had to find her. Jughead wasn't sure he could live with the consequences if he didn't, and something terrible happened to the woman he loved.

"I know this doesn't make any sense. I'm worried about B too. I just don't know where else we could possibly look. We have no leads, and this town is turning into a warzone faster than the Gucci store in New York on Black Friday." Veronica said, pulling her glasses off her face and placing her head in her hands.

"I can't just give up." Jughead said sternly.

"Nobody is telling you to. I, for one, could never forgive myself if I gave up on this particular mystery. This is B we are talking about, your girlfriend, and my best friend, and queen of the Serpents. We have to find her. We are not giving up because Betty Cooper would never give up on either of us in a million years." Veronica said with as much confidence as she could muster in the face of their current challenge.

Veronica's phone lit up on the table in front of her, saying she had a new message and a string of other notifications. This time she saw it since she did not have her face buried in a laptop doing research. She picked up the device, noticing that Kevin had sent her a photo and several texts. He had also called several times and left a few voicemails.

"How did I miss all of this?" Veronica mumbled to herself.

"Not Betty with a location to come pick her up is it?" Jughead asked, somewhat sarcastically as Veronica typed her passcode into her phone.

"Chill it's just Kevin. He is probably still pissed at me for missing out latte day on Monday."

She downloaded the image and her blood ran cold. Veronica started furiously typing a reply into the phone. This was a conversation she wanted to have entirely in person. She sent the message telling Kevin to come to Pop's ASAP and explain exactly what he had seen.

"What's that look about?" Jughead asked, seeing the look of wide eyed horror and confusion on Veronica's face as she stared at her phone screen.

She opened up just the picture again and zoomed in so there was no mistake about what, or rather who, it was. Veronica slid the phone over to Jughead. "I think we may finally have a lead."

She watched as he stared down at the somewhat blurry image on the screen, taken through the fence at the Sister of Quiet Mercy, there was his Serpent Queen. Jughead's face went white and if it weren't for the lack of food in his stomach he thought he might have thrown up. She didn't look good from what he could tell from the image. Her cheeks looked sunken in and her expression was downcast and defeated. This was not a look that the Betty Cooper he knew usually wore. But, at least Kevin had found Betty. The only problem was that she was in the worst possible place enduring lord knows what kind of treatment at the hands of those corrupt and barbaric nuns.

"What the hell would she be doing at the Sister's?" Veronica said, outraged.

"I'm not sure but we need to get her out of there quickly. There's no telling what's going on behind the walls of that sadistic torture chamber and we have no idea how long she has already been at their mercy." Jughead's eyes widened as that realization struck him. How long has she been there? How much time have the nuns had to 'rehabilitate' her? He hoped Betty was okay, and laying low.

"I just don't understand why she hasn't escaped. There's a door marked with an X that we used before to get Cheryl out. Betty knew about it, why hasn't she left?" Veronica questioned.

"Joaquin told me a little while ago that they had that exit walled off after Cheryl escaped. Maybe she can't get out. Do you think maybe her mom put her in there Veronica?"

"I wouldn't put it passed Mrs. Cooper. She is very controlling. Remember what Betty's parents did to Polly when they found out she was pregnant? Wait Betty's not pregnant is she?"

Jughead nearly choked. He cleared his throat and said, "Not that I know of, I think that's something she probably would have mentioned. And we use protection."

"Okay, so not likely that Mrs. Cooper had another pregnant daughter hidden away with the sisters. But why else would she be there? This doesn't make any sense." Veronica pushed her hair back behind her ear as she leaned back into the booth.

At that moment the door to Pop's burst open with a sharp ding of the bell to reveal a very sweaty and very red faced Kevin Keller. He spotted Veronica and Jughead and sped over to them, dropping down in the booth next to Veronica.

Veronica spoke first, "Kev, I need you to tell me and Jughead exactly what you saw."

Kevin wasted no time, sensing the lack of patience for any preamble to this vital discovery he launched right into the story, still breathless from the sprint there.

Kevin looked at Veronica and Jughead seriously and said, "Brace yourself guys, because what I saw was not pretty and we have a lot of work to do."


	7. Chapter 7

Betty opened her eyes that morning feeling different than she had the past few days, or weeks, she wasn't sure how long it had been anymore. There was a strange clarity to her thoughts that was new compared to the fog she had been in. Her first few days in Eldervair had been an adjustment. She had been fitted for proper clothing and shown to her room within the palace where she had been told to remain until someone came to retrieve her. Betty complied, she had been exhausted and took advantage of the time to rest. She barely got out of bed except to eat her meals when they were brought to her, and to take her medicine the doctor brought each morning. Up until that night her sleep had been plagued by horrific nightmares. Most of them featured her being punished for her bad behavior. The King had no mercy even in her dreams, and Betty feared the day she would be taken to see him, here in his palace.

The nuns from the monastery on the palace grounds had been very good to her. They worked within the palace and tended to her like servants. In only a short time they and the doctor would be arriving to give her that days dose of medicine, and Betty decided to enjoy her moment of privacy and explore the room she had yet to fully take in.

She sat up, feeling a renewed energy within her body which was no longer shaky uncoordinated. Her strength had returned as well, and a smile crept across her face as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up with ease. This was a bedroom fit for a queen. A Gargoyle Queen to be exact. The Gargoyle King sure had a fondness for wood and branches because the room was decorated as if it existed within a tree. She was surrounded by walls that were textured to be like branches with leaves and everything attached to them. They extended up to the ceiling where they came together in a thick canopy of leaves and branches over her head. She was definitely not at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy any more, this place was actually beautiful in its own way.

She walked over to a wooden table where there was an envelope shut with an ornate wax seal. Betty picked up the thick paper and noticed the gargoyle figure stamped into the wax. Carefully, she ran her finger under the edge of the paper and pulled the envelope open. Inside there was a single page with only a few words written in black ink.

Betty read aloud to herself, "Your next quest is to become the Gargoyle Queen. Accept, or your time in Eldervair is over."

She nearly dropped the page when there was a loud knock on her door signaling the arrival of her daily attendees.

Not much was clear to her about how she had gotten to this place. Betty had been playing a round of Gryphons and Gargoyles with some of the other girls in the common area when it happened, her ascension into the Kingdom. They had been deep into a quest, and Betty was determined to complete it. The King would be so proud of her if she managed to pull this off. It was her moment to prove herself to him, to prove that she was finally worthy. Betty had been promised that upon the successful completion of this quest, she could finally ascend. Nothing was going to stop her.

Sister Woodhouse had stood just outside the door, along with the Man in Black, watching the girls play this particular game of G&G.

"What happens next Ethel?" Betty asked her game master, desperate to find out how the dice would rule on her fate.

It was late. The room was illuminated with candles, setting a dark scene for the playing of a game that had infiltrated and destroyed a town's youth within a matter of weeks.

Betty looked at Ethel's face which almost looked like the surface of water with the reflections of the moving candle light. Betty thought to herself how the dancing flames made her look like Ethel was made of pure fire, just like a fire spirit from the game.

"You! Warrior! Walk into the house of the furies, and see before you the three manifestations of evil, waiting for you to make a move. Your secret quest has been found out, and they are ready and willing to kill you. How do you wish to respond?" Ethel said, drama played up in her voice as all the girls in their circle leaned in to discover what the result of this imagined altercation would be.

"I roll for an escape spell." Betty said, recognizing that she could not take on all these monsters on her own.

She rolled the dice, everyone holding their breath, waiting to discover her fate.

It was then that Betty saw none other than the Gargoyle King himself appear over Ethel's shoulder. He was looming over them, staring down at her. He began to speak in a low growl that was so loud it seemed to shake the very foundations of the building Betty was in. "You will ascend Elizabeth, but you will not be free. Welcome to your nightmare, this is only the beginning of your game."

At that moment, the flames that Betty thought she had imagined on Ethel's skin burned brighter, and Betty could not even hear the scream that escaped her lungs as she watched Ethel begin to burn, parts of her falling away as ashes. There were more screams as Betty collapsed at that moment, dice falling out of her hand while she convulsed on the ground.

A chorus of cries for help erupted from the girls around her as Betty laid on the ground twitching and gasping for air. It only took moments before the Sisters quickly arrived on the scene and carried Betty away to the infirmary wing.

"What happened to her Sister Woodhouse?" Ethel asked.

Sister Woodhouse turned just as they reached the rooms exit with the seizing girl and said, "It's nothing to worry about my dears. Ms. Cooper is just having a seizure. She came to us with this condition, nothing to be worried about. Now, finish your game without her. It's nearly time for bed."

The nun shut the large doors behind her with a bang, leaving a group of terrified girls to wonder what exactly was wrong with Betty Cooper. Ethel was now convinced that Betty was there for good reason, needing the help of the kind sisters of Quiet Mercy to nurse her back to health.

The girls did as they were told without further question or discussion, returning with ease to their game of Gryphons and Gargoyles and their lives in the pretend kingdom of Eldervair, as if nothing had gone wrong. They sat in a circle, continuing to play as if nothing had happened and not one of them asked where Betty was when she did not return to the group the next day.

Betty's memory was blank from the time she had started to convulse until she had woken up somewhere else. Sister Woodhouse had watched patiently as the Cooper girl suddenly went limp and sprawled out on the floor. Then the convulsions came, and Betty lay there gasping for air as the other girls screamed around her. Sister Woodhouse and another nun approached and picked up the seizing girl, dragging her away and into the infirmary as the Man in Black watched the scene from his discreet location in the shadows outside the door. He took his leave shortly after, nodding to Sister Woodhouse as she shut the infirmary door. She would update him on the girl later. Their plans had been executed perfectly, and with this accomplished, they were well on their way to initiating phase two.

Hiram locked his study door late that night, confident that he would remain undisturbed at this hour, and pulled out a separate laptop from beneath a false bottom in his desk drawer. He opened the computer and logged into an email address that was separate from all his personal accounts. There, right on time, was the report from Sister Woodhouse about the state of their latest pet project, Elizabeth Cooper.

Sister Woodhouse had kept careful records of Betty's progress as she had become fully immersed in her pharmaceutically induced delusions. Much like the other girls, she now saw the King nearly everywhere, watching her every move, anticipating her every thought. He was in her head, stopping her from sinning, and helping her to ascend as the Gryphon Queen in G&G. The longer they proceeded to feed her the drugs, the more she believed the delusions, and the night of her seizure she was finally ready for the next step. The new drugs they had given her were stronger than the usual ones and she had quickly lost herself and her rational mind to them. All this information was contained in the report sent to him by Sister Woodhouse. Along with more medical statistics about the exact amount of the drugs they were giving her, and how much the dosage had been increased day by day.

Hiram was pleased. She had responded perfectly to the new formula, and now that they knew it worked so well, they could start to use it on the other girls. Luckily it had been discovered that the runoff from the manufacturing process could cause seizures in young women. Betty had already experienced one, and Hiram and Sister Woodhouse had now figured out how to use it to their advantage. She would wake up from that seizure in a different world. A world of the Man in Black's creation, where she would finally offer the Gargoyle King the help he so desperately needed, while simultaneously destroying the very soul of the opposition.

Hiram shut the laptop leaned back in his chair with a content smile on his face. He nearly poured himself a drink for a job well done, but he knew better than to celebrate before all the loose ends were tied up. He still had a vital role to play in Riverdale's final stumble right into the trap that he had been so diligently constructing since the day he returned.

Betty quickly returned to the comfort of her bed and tucked her letter under a pillow as the large wooden door to her bedroom swung open. A man in his early thirties entered carrying a medicine bag and walked over to where she was perched on her bed.

"Good morning, I trust you know why I am here. Did you sleep well?" The doctor asked as he pulled out his stethoscope to check her basic vitals.

Betty nodded. She knew he was here with her medication, although she still hadn't remembered to ask what on earth it was for. The doctor seemed to take it very seriously, so she did not question it. The King would be very angry if she disobeyed the doctor's orders, so she diligently swallowed the medicine she was given.

"You seem to be taking well to the dosage now. You should continue to feel better as your body adjusts. It must be strange to find yourself in this new place, especially now that you are able to explore it properly. However, you must do as the King instructs. Otherwise I fear the consequences will be, well, you know how the King can be when he doesn't get his way." With that, the doctor packed up the few things he had removed from his bag and swiftly left the room.

Betty barely had time to comprehend that thinly veiled warning before a small herd of nuns barged into her room carrying everything from dresses and shoes to makeup.

"What's going on here?" Betty asked.

Sister Woodhouse set down the burgundy gown she was holding and turned to face her. "Why Elizabeth we need to prepare you for your breakfast with the King. We wouldn't want you looking so ghastly and disheveled during your first meeting together."

"What do you mean by first meeting? I have met the King before, he taught me how to be virtuous, he was helping me ascend." Betty said, confused.

"Yes, my dear, we are aware of that. But it seems that the King has taken a liking to you, and since his latest quest is to find a Queen for his kingdom, he has decided that you would be a perfect candidate." The nun said nonchalantly as she pulled Betty over to a seat in front of a large vanity mirror.

"Wait, he actually wants me to be the Gargoyle Queen?" If this was what the King wanted it would only make it that much easier for her to complete her quest and stay in the game.

"Of course, my dear, but even the King is not above a bit of courting and romance before making his final decision. You have shown such promise, such good reactions to the medication. The doctor is going to help you through this. Don't worry one bit, by the time the wedding comes I am sure you will find yourself excited at the opportunity being presented to you here. Now, no more questions. The Gargoyle King awaits."

Betty obeyed and allowed the nuns to prepare her for her breakfast. She didn't quite know what to make of the whole situation. Marriage was hardly something she wanted to go through with, but this was Eldervair, a kingdom in need of a queen and she was going to be it. Betty understood exactly what the Gargoyle King had meant when he said that her game was just beginning. She had been forced into a play for the crown, and she was going to complete this new quest no matter what it took. This was the most elaborate game of Gryphons and Gargoyles she had played yet and she would not lose now that she had come so far. If her new quest was to become the Gargoyle Queen, then she was bound by the laws of the realm to comply.


	8. Chapter 8

It was 9am, and a group of Riverdale's youth gathered together in Veronica's speakeasy below Pop's. They were hoping to save their friend from the clutches of evil. If their plans were good enough, Jughead would have his Serpent Queen back in his arms in no time. They would soon make a play to get Betty out of the Sisters of Quiet Mercy and Jughead was at the head of the table leading their meeting, desperate to get their plan ready for action.

"I want it to be very clear that we need to stick to the plan. No matter what, we cannot afford to make any mistakes here. We are going into enemy territory where they will have an advantage and we need to be on high alert. The Serpent Queen is in danger, and it is our job to complete this quest and bring her to safety." Jughead's speech was meant to inspire his friends, and it worked. They all spent the next few hours planning the best ways to ensure they could get into and hopefully out of the Sisters with Betty in tow.

Veronica sat to Jugheads left with Kevin. They were looking over the building plans for the Sisters, trying to find the most efficient and secluded ways in and out.

Cheryl piped up and said. "Shouldn't Toni and I be the ones with the map? I was imprisoned there first and I know the layout better than baby Lodge and gay Forrest Gump over here."

"Fine Cheryl. Have it your way." Veronica said, sliding the plans across the table. Cheryl Smiled an exaggerated toothy grin and pulled the building plans out of Veronica's hands.

"So, fellow conspirators, the back entrance to the Sisters is on the southeast side of the building. If we can get to the door and inside the building undetected, I think we have a pretty good chance of finding my dear cousin. As long as they haven't locked her away in a tower like some ghoulish version of Rapunzel." Cheryl said.

She pulled out a red pen and began marking down the route into and out of the building. Cheryl also took out a folded-up piece of paper out of her purse and unfolded it. Passing the page to Jughead, she said "this is something that I found during my stay at that barbaric, oppressive, and tragically outdated home for 'troubled youth'. I didn't think too much of it until now, but certain events have made me reconsider the relevance of the information it contains. Especially since I am pretty sure this shows that Mr. Lodge is puppeteering the Sisters of Quiet Mercy and my uncle Claudius to help do his evil bidding. I fear for what my cousin has suffered under their watch, and we need to get her out. Tonight, if possible. I'm hopeful that with this evidence, once my cousin is free, we can finally take Hiram, and that place fit for a horror film, down for good."

Cherry Bombshell had done it again. Veronica nearly ripped the piece of paper out of Jugheads hands.

"What is this Cheryl and how could you have kept it from us until now? What the hell is this drug and why are all these kids at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy on it? And why is my dad's signature on the bottom?" Veronica asked, confused and incredulous. She was gripping the page tight in her hands, staring at the words and putting the pieces of the puzzle together for herself as Cheryl explained.

"Come on 'V' think about it. Your dad is testing his poison out on the patients at the Sisters. Polio Lapis is Fizzle Rocks. I know because I caught your dad talking to my weasel of an uncle about it a few weeks after you guys broke me out. I just took the paper to draw in my room alone. I didn't know what was on it, I kept all paper that I acquired so I could draw at night when I couldn't sleep. The Sisters wouldn't let us take any paper back to our rooms in case we tried to write secret messages to our 'deviant' lovers on the outside. They are definitely working together on this nefarious plan somehow." Cheryl threw her long cherry red hair back over her shoulder. "Now, how are we going to stop those two evil doers from torturing my cousin and using her and those other kids like human lab rats?"

"Why would the Sisters be testing fizzle rocks on the patients? I mean I'm sure Hiram is paying them somehow but why do it at all? What is he hoping to gain from this?" Said Jughead.

"It must have something to do with G&G." Toni said. "My grandfather used to tell stories about evil spirits that lived in that building. He told us it contained the embodiment of evil, and that's why the patients rarely try to escape. They were all said to be trapped under his spell, living in fear of his punishment for their wrongdoings. He seemed to think that the Gargoyle King lives there, but that can't possibly be true. Whoever is acting as the Gargoyle King now definitely isn't working out of the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. It could mean that the game itself came from there or that there is something worse going on in there. But I'm not sure how much faith to put in folklore like that. It doesn't make enough sense, there are too many missing pieces to make sense of what's happening."

"This must be part of Hiram's grand plan to take over the town." Jughead shook his head, afraid for what Betty might be enduring alone in that awful place.

"Test the fizzle rocks out on the kids that are the least cared about, and then use them to turn the rest of the town into your servants by getting them all addicted to drugs. I saw the same thing in another town when I went away with Archie. All the people left, save for a few exceptions that were all taking fizzle rocks, all playing Gryphons and Gargoyles, and all working for none other than the Man in Black. Not to mention, all the men in town had been sent to work at a prison run by the Man in Black. We need to get Betty out of there before he turns her into another drugged-up G&G zombie like them. It seems like he is using the game to control people and make them too wrapped up in this fantasy world to realize that he's destroying their home."

Veronica felt sick. She could not even begin to process all the horrors that her father had inflicted on her friends and their town. She wanted to stop him somehow, show him that he won't get away with messing with her home and her friends. Most of all, she was concerned for Betty.

"Jughead if my dad knows that he has Betty, the Serpent Queen, at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy its perfect leverage against you and the serpents. You are just as much a thorn in his side as Archie and I don't think he would pass up an opportunity to get to you like this. We need to be prepared for the worst." Veronica said.

Veronica then turned to her friends with a look of determination on her face and said, "Guys, I think we are going to need to add another layer to this plan, a distraction of some kind. We can't take any chances that we don't make it out of there with Betty. But first, we need eyes on that place. The more we know about where they are keeping Betty the easier this will be. We need to know exactly where all of the moving pieces are going to be so that things go smoothly" Veronica said.

"I have had some of the Serpents watching the place ever since Kevin gave us the news. So far, they're saying it looked like Betty was being kept with the other girls, until recently when they stopped seeing her outside in the courtyard or anywhere near the other prisoners of that place. Do you have any idea where they could have taken her Cheryl? Any reason why she wouldn't be with the other prisoners?" Jughead asked.

"They could have taken her to see the King. I heard some of the patients talking about having to go see him if they got into trouble. I wasn't there long enough to learn much else. I think it's a chamber somewhere in the building with a big wooden door. I saw a few girls drawing the same entranceway during arts and crafts time. I don't know of any other secret rooms. She could be in the infirmary but that doesn't bode well for my dearest cousin at all. Have any of the Serpents been able to catch a glimpse of her through a window or anything? I know that place doesn't have many, but Betty's golden blonde locks are hard to miss much like my luscious cherry red tresses."

"The guys haven't been able to get close enough. The place has a lot of security precautions. That's probably why Mrs. Cooper sent Betty there, she probably thought she would be safe. Nobody has been closer than Kevin was when he took that photo." Toni said.

Jughead cursed under his breath. The torture of knowing where Betty probably was but not being able to run to her rescue that instant was killing him, but this was important. They had to do this right. This was his Serpent Queen and she had been captured and locked away by an enemy king, and he would not let anything jeopardize their chance to get her back.


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's Note: I just want to apologize for how long it has taken me to update this story. This chapter is short and probably not the best but I did my best to write something to keep this going so you guys don't think I have quit on this. To explain myself, I struggle with mental illness and recently my medication stopped working so I have to change it and get my shit back together. I am having a hard time thinking straight and getting things done. Soon I will be better and able to write the fun stuff like when Jughead and the gang finally rescue Betty. I just need to be in tip top shape to write it, and do it proper justice. Thank you all so much for reading this story and for your lovely comments. I hope you can continue to be patient with me, I promise I haven't given up yet _

Betty wished that she could go sit with the other girls. Her lavish chaise was incredibly comfortable, but she longed for some company, and a blanket to cover some of her cold and mostly exposed skin. The King had kept her away from the other girls, saying that it was because she was special since she was going to become his queen. But now even at her own engagement party, the night before her wedding, she was ordered to keep to herself and wait for the orders of the King.

She adjusted the loose strap that had slid off her shoulder, sliding it back up to make sure the bra she wore did its job properly. The Gargoyle King had exacting expectations, all of his women had to look perfect at all times. Betty was no stranger to the pursuit of perfection, and she made sure to arch her back and tilt her head as seductively as she could when she noticed the Gargoyle King approaching her from across the room.

The three girls off to her right were squished together in a less extravagant lounge area than the seat Betty had been given. They were dressed scantily just like Betty and were just there to be ogled at.

"Elizabeth, you look lovely as usual. Stand for me, I want to take a proper look at you." The Gargoyle King said as he sat down upon his throne. Betty's chaise was positioned to his left, a new throne for the new queen. She stood and positioned herself in front of the King,

"Yes my dear, you are taking to your new wardrobe quite well I see. Turn for me, show off."

Betty did as he said, not even stopping to notice the objectifying behavior she was consenting to with no protest. This wasn't like when she had gotten on stage in that lingerie at the Wyte Wyrm, she was wearing nothing more than a ruby red push up bra, thong, and a tiara that nearly matched the crown of twigs that the Gargoyle King had perched on his head. The one she would wear after becoming queen was much larger. Normally she would have been embarrassed and angry to stand nearly naked in front of her best friend's dad. But Betty's brain had been taken over by the Gargoyle King's drug's and a sick psychologically twisted game that none of them could seem to stop playing.

When she completed the turn, she looked into the eyes of the man she would be married to tomorrow, and he stared back at her intensely before letting his eyes wander up and down her nearly naked body.

"I think that on this special occasion, you should be allowed some extra special candy. This is a new flavor and I you should be the first to try it." Hiram handed the packet of candy to Betty and watched as she smiled and tossed all of it into her mouth.

He was amazed at how easy it had been to control Ms. Cooper and by extension Jughead Jones. Both had been a thorn in his side for too long and he finally had them both right where he wanted them. Nobody even knew where sweet Betty Cooper even was, and soon he would use her to make the Jones kid suffer.

"Love is so sweet, is it not Elizabeth?"

"Yes, my King." Betty replied obediently.

"Since tomorrow we shall be wed, I have something fun planned for us this evening." Hiram gestured to one of the girls off to his right. She looked back and gave a small wave. "I want you to show me a good time. And she will be coming along to help you. We will all go to my chambers after the party, and you two are going to treat me like a proper King. I want to be worshipped." He said, staring intensely into Betty's wide eyes.

"Why wouldn't we wait until we are married my lord?"

"See Elizabeth the answer to that question is simple. I am King. You will do as I say, and I will not allow you to defy me or I will see to it that you will suffer. It is your job as queen to obey and please me. If I choose for that to start tonight, then it shall be."

Hiram waved her off and Betty returned to her seat next to him. A maid brought her a drink and Betty obediently sat and tried to enjoy the evening. She would not fail her quest after having already come so far.

Hiram watched Betty out of the corner of his eye throughout the evening. He noticed when the new drugs began to work and Betty began to act differently. Hiram smiled as his creation took hold and Betty began to experience what were similar to the effects of the popular party drug molly. The new formula was clearly working its magic. Hiram could only hope the effects would help her performance tonight when he took her and the other girl to bed with him. Hermione had been whoring around with Fred Andrews anyway. He felt no sense of duty or guilt towards her now. She had betrayed him, and so had his own daughter. In fully accepting his role as King, Hiram could embrace the world he had built for himself and create a new family that would never disobey his will.

Hiram didn't even notice when a man creeped up next to him and said, "is the new formula working as it should sir?"

"Absolutely. Your skills are much appreciated."

"Much obliged my King."

Hiram had nearly forgotten that the brute of a man had been invited to this party. Tallboy had a stench about him that prompted a desire for personal space and short conversations. When he walked away, Hiram finally took a deep breath and decided that it was nearly time for this party to come to an end.


	10. Chapter 10

It was the middle of the night, the sky was clear and the moon shone brightly to illuminate the almost non-existent path as a group of Riverdale's youth crept through the dark woods near Sweet Water River towards the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Jughead and Veronica lead the group down the small trail where Kevin had first spotted Betty. They reached the edge of the property and Jughead hastily thought up something to say to rally his troops before the mission began.

The Serpent King spoke, "This is it guys, everyone knows what they are supposed to do. If all goes well and we stick to the plan, we should be in and out of there in no time. Split up into your teams and let's go save Betty from this nightmare."

The duos separated. Toni and Cheryl headed off to the right to secure the service door, and the team of Jughead's most trusted Serpents divided into teams to surround the rest of the building and prepare to breach. Jughead, Veronica and Kevin were left standing together at the property line, waiting the planned 3 minutes that it would take for everyone else to get into position.

Veronica stared at her watch, urging the second hand to tick just a little faster. She had a bad feeling that had been plaguing her all day, and she wouldn't be able to relax until they had Betty back safe and sound.

"Okay Kev, Jug and I are going to head in through the service entrance once Cheryl and Toni have made sure it's safe. Once we get inside, I will send you a text and then you can give everyone else the signal" Veronica said.

"Yeah, got it. I will be in touch if I see anything weird."

Kevin gave Jughead and Veronica a nod as they headed off to their entrance into the building. When they reached the door, Cheryl and Toni were leaning calmly against the brick of the building's exterior next to the already open door.

"That was quick. Nice work Deadeye" Jughead said.

"You underestimate us Jones" Toni replied stepping away from the wall and gesturing with her arm for them to enter.

Jughead went first through the door into the dark building. Through the door was a hallway leading to another metal door. The air was stale and damp, and the silence was creepy to say the least. He and Veronica made their way through the second door and found themselves in the Basement of the Sisters of quiet Mercy. Boxes filled with canned foods and racks stacked high with bed linens lined the walls.

"Looks like storage" Veronica said.

They didn't linger for too long, exiting the space into a dark hallway in the basement. A few doors down to the left they noticed the infamous door with the X that had served as an escape route for many other kids who fell victim to the Sisters archaic practices.

They walked over to it and were surprised to find it unlocked. Jughead pulled it open and came face to face with the brick wall that Betty had encountered when she had first tried to escape this place.

Veronica spoke, "I guess that explains why Betty never managed to escape."

"Yeah, that's one mystery solved I suppose" Jughead replied.

He closed the door again and they headed towards the stairs. They made their way quietly through the dark hallways of the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Nobody seemed to be around, and all the rooms on the first floor were dark and silent.

Jughead had planned for three teams of two to infiltrate the Sisters. As he and Veronica continued their search for Betty, their friends would be searching different sectors of the building. It was approximately ten minutes into their search and Jughead checked his phone for any updates. There had been no communication from the rest of their team since they had sent out the initial text to begin their search of the building. Jughead frowned as he tucked the phone back in his pocket and continued to follow Veronica down another dark hallway towards a door that appeared to be straight out of a horror movie.

"What the hell do you think they have been doing in there?" Jughead asked.

"I don't know but I hope that it's not Betty we find on the other side of that door."

Jughead opened the door and they stepped inside. Both of them gasped when they came face to face with the gargoyle statue that inhabited the stone room.

"Is this what everyone taking Fizzle Rocks thinks the Gargoyle King is? This pathetic statue in what is basically a creepy dungeon?"

Veronica was seething and her words were heavy with sarcasm. This whole thing made so much sense to her, especially if her father was behind it all. She followed Jughead beyond the hideous stone statue to the back of the room.

"Do you think any of the drugged-up patients ever noticed that there's another door over here?"

Veronica walked over to where Jughead was, and sure enough there was a door, tucked cleverly away behind a curtain much like the other ones lining the walls.

"I don't think those kids would have noticed much more than that statue, never mind the interior décor" she replied.

The door led them down a hallway lit with occasional kerosene lamps. They could see stairs leading upward down the hallway ahead of them. They trudged onward without any concern for what would be waiting for them at the end of the passage. With any luck it would lead them straight to Betty. When they reached the top of the stairs Veronica suddenly froze and stopped Jughead from going any further. She pulled him down and they crouched near the top of the steps.

"There's somebody up there, next to the door" Veronica whispered.

Jughead slowly peeked over the top step and saw the man that Veronica was talking about. She was confused when he continued to stand up and started walking towards the man at the end of the hallway.

"What the hell are you doing?" She whispered angrily at him.

Jughead turned and said, "don't worry. This guy won't be a problem for us."

Veronica followed him up the stairs and saw what Jughead meant. The man was passed out, slumped forward in a chair. In the brief moment she had looked at him she failed to notice anything about him. Next to him on the ground was an empty liquor bottle, which would account for why the man was in such a state.

The pair didn't waste any more time and continued through the door the man had presumably been meant to guard. The door opened, revealing what looked like a throne room, and there perched high enough to provide a view of the entire room was a throne. They had found the Gargoyle King's throne.

"This would be cool if this place wasn't one of my father's egotistical imaginings come to life" Veronica said.

"Why are you so sure it's your Dad?"

"Jughead, just look at this place. Now that I know my father really is Riverdale's resident villain this seems like exactly the kind of thing dear old Daddy would do."

They kept walking, surprised that there seemed to be no one around. The room was a mess, as if someone had held some kind of gathering there and hadn't cleaned up yet. Champagne glasses littered the few tables that sat off to one side of the room. The chairs were strewn around and there were still cards on a few tables from abandoned games of poker.

"Let's go through the fancy door over there."

Jughead turned and looked towards where Veronica was pointing, and he saw what she was referring to. The door was large and wooden, and the handles were two large gold rings like a castle door from the medieval era and painted onto it were images of the Gargoyle King.

"That does seem promising." He whispered and followed Veronica through the door.

"How big do you think this place is?"

"Apparently its big enough to hide Hiram's whole operation right under the noses of the entire town." Said Jughead.

They walked past the multitude of doors along the hallway until they heard voices. It sounded like a woman and they quietly approached the door careful not to arouse suspicion. Veronica pressed her ear to the door and had to stop herself from puking when she heard her father's voice commenting on someone's naked body. Presumably the body of the woman who's voice they had heard just moments before.

With a glance and a quick nod to Jughead, they both burst through the unlocked door and stumbled into a scene that neither of them could have ever imagined to be possible. There, lying nearly naked on a king-sized bed was Betty Cooper along with another girl they didn't know. The most horrifying part was how Hiram stood there shirtless at the edge of the bed with his hands still entangled in the belt he had been about to remove.

"What the hell is going on here?" Veronica yelled, taking a few rage fueled steps toward her father.

Jughead looked on in horror as he began to process what was about to happen. The part that didn't make sense to him was why Betty was still lying there seemingly compliant with the whole thing. Her eyes did not even come to meet his as he stared at her lying there on her back with her head propped up on a pillow. Something was wrong, he had never known Betty to look so despondent and compliant.

"Mija, I don't know how you found this place, but you have made a terrible mistake by coming here. Especially with him." Hiram snarled as he motioned to Jughead.

"Honestly Daddy you have clearly lost your mind. What you are doing here is disgusting and daughter or not I want you thrown back in jail where you belong. We are taking Betty and getting the hell out of this fortress of insanity. You have gone way too far this time."

"What makes you think you can stop me? Nothing you or the pitiful so-called Serpent King have done so far has come close to stopping me. And now here I am with the Serpent Queen, lying patiently in my bed, awaiting my touch. The touch of a real king with real power. Not some half assed gangster from a trailer park with no hope of ever beating me. This is my game. Everyone else is merely a pawn within it. Isn't that right Hellcaster?"

Jughead's vision went red as he lunged at Hiram. The older man was obviously startled by the attack as they both tumbled to the floor in a mess of tangled limbs, and Veronica looked on in horror as the two kings of Riverdale wrestled awkwardly with one another in an attempt to gain the upper hand. Jughead threw an elbow that luckily connected with Hiram's face and he took advantage of the moment of confusion to wriggle away from the older man. Jughead stood up and made a move towards Betty before something caught his ankle and he hit the ground hard.

Jughead caught his breath and rolled onto his back ready to get up and keep fighting but his plans were derailed when his eyes locked onto the black metal object that Hiram had pointed down at him.

"What are you going to do now Hiram? Shoot me? Go right ahead. It will just be another one of your crimes to add to the list, this time with your own daughter as a witness." Jughead said defiantly as Mr. Lodge loomed over him.

"You know Mr. Jones; I almost respect you for your commitment to your cause. But I fail to understand how you can't see who really has the upper hand here. I am pointing a gun at your head, and in a second, I am going to fire this gun and kill you. The not so heroic end of the Serpent King. Or should I say the death of a kid from a trailer park on the Southside who nobody ever really cared about, not even his own parents. Your death will be a privilege for both me and you, so you better thank me now because you will never get another chance."

Jughead stared back at him defiantly as Hiram moved his finger to release the safety on the gun and cocked it. Any second now he would pull the trigger, and everything would be over. Hiram adjusted his aim, and Jughead shut his eyes and whispered an apology to Betty under his breath before Hiram pulled the trigger and the gun fired.


	11. Chapter 11

Jughead stayed frozen on the ground, waiting for the pain to come and the life to slowly drain out of his body through the bullet hole he was certain now existed on his chest. He stayed still, waiting for the sweet embrace of death to take him away from the cruelty of the world that he found himself living in. As more moments passed and Jughead realized that he felt no pain other than the throbbing of his battered body he knew something was wrong. When he opened his eyes, his mouth fell open in shock when he saw Veronica standing over him with half of what was a ceramic vase in her hands.

"Get up Jones, I saved your life and now we've got to save Betty." Veronica said.

Stepping over the unconscious heap that was the body of her father she walked over to Betty who still hadn't moved.

"Betty are you okay?" Veronica asked, looking down at the helpless form of her best friend.

Betty didn't respond, she just stared at Veronica with her face expressionless, seemingly unaware of what was going on around her. Jughead joined her at Betty's side and they decided not to waste any more time. The first thing they needed to do was get her out of there, and then they could help her sober up from whatever chemical cocktail Hiram Lodge had been giving her. They each grabbed one of her arms and pulled Betty into a standing position between them so they could lead her out of this nightmare.

There was a commotion in the hallway as they headed back to the door. Before they could reach it, one of the nuns barged through the door coming face to face with the three of them. The nun had slammed the door shut behind her but there was still some kind of scuffle going on outside of the room.

"What on earth are the two of you doing? You can't take her, that girl needs us." The nun said as she surveyed the scene she had walked into. Her boss was lying unconscious on the floor amongst a scene of broken ceramics and other destruction.

"No, we are definitely taking her away from you and this house of horrors. The sisters have already done enough damage here." Jughead said.

"You don't understand if she doesn't get the next dose of her medication, we have no idea what could happen."

Veronica suddenly left Jughead to hold on to a very unsteady Betty as she lunged furiously at the nun. Veronica tackled the woman and pinned her to the ground holding a sharp piece of the vase she had broken earlier to the woman's throat.

"You're going to tell me right now exactly what poison you and my father have been giving my friend or you are going to end up just like him." Veronica said as she gestured to the limp body of her father a few feet away. He looked dead, although he wasn't but the threat wasn't lost on the nun who stared, terrified, up at Veronica.

"It…It's a new kind of fizzle rocks. The King was testing it on her. I don't know what's different about it, but it seems to have qualities far beyond its predecessor. From what I can tell it makes people extremely suggestible. That girl was a handful when she arrived, but from what I hear the drugs have made her completely compliant with our way of life. She was meant to become the Gargoyle Queen tomorrow."

Veronica scowled at the woman, "You people disgust me! Now, we are going to leave, and you will do nothing to stop us or I swear I will find a way to make you pay." She released her hold on the nun and stood up.

"Let's go Jones" Veronica said.

Before they could reach the door, Cheryl suddenly came storming into the room with a prideful and deadly look on her face. She held her bow tight in her hands as she surveyed the scene in front of her.

"What the hell happened in here?" Chery asked.

"No time to explain" Veronica said, "we need to get Betty the hell out of here and somewhere safe. We can share our combat stories when this is over."

Veronica allowed Jughead to lead Betty out of the room on his own. She grabbed Cheryl's elbow spinning her around so they were face to face.

"I need you to see if you can get a sample of the drugs they have been giving to Betty and the other patients here. Jughead and I will get her out of here, you need to find where they keep the stash Cheryl. If things go wrong having the drug could mean the difference between saving Betty or having to watch her die."

"No need to worry Veronica. I'll find where these dreadful nuns are hiding your father's poison. Now, do what you can to save my dear cousin while I complete this mission." Cheryl said and then confidently exited the room.

Veronica walked quickly down the hall of the Sisters of Quiet Mercy until she saw Jughead supporting a weak and barely coherent Betty ahead of her.

With Cheryl in the lead, the group began the journey back the way they had come and away from this inconceivable nightmare. When they finally reached the exit, and the cool fresh air hit their faces, they all finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although they still had a long way to go before they reached the Cooper house, it felt better to be outside and away from the darkness that leeched into the very foundation of the building that the Sisters of Quiet Mercy occupied.

They walked back through the woods in silence, careful to watch their surroundings in case anyone lurked in the shadows waiting to strike. It wasn't until they had safely reached the edge of town that Veronica stopped to pull out her cell phone.

Jughead sent the rest of the group ahead and waited with Veronica while she placed a call. She hung up the phone and looked at him.

"I called the sheriff. Maybe now they will finally have enough evidence against my father to keep him in jail." She said beginning to walk again.

"There were a ton of witnesses this time, everyone we brought with us will corroborate the truth of the evil deeds that your father has committed in Riverdale. We might finally be free of the iron grip he has had over this town." Jughead said, hoping that he was speaking the truth.

Veronica and Jughead lagged behind the rest of the group as they completed the journey back to Betty's house on Elm Street. Not long after Veronica had placed the phone call to the cops they heard sirens blaring through the Town heading back to the building they had just rescued their friend from. The police could have their way with that place now that they had removed Betty. Now, they just had to figure out how to help get whatever poison Hiram had been pumping into her system out without it killing her. Jughead knew what happened when people detoxed from drugs. He couldn't help but worry what the side effects would be and if Betty's body was strong enough to get through them. He would buy fizzle rocks and wean her off if he had to, but the most efficient way would be to let her ride out the withdrawals for a couple days and hope she came out okay at the end of it all.

Suddenly Betty tripped and toppled forward nearly dragging Jughead and Veronica down with her. The three of them stopped for a moment and Jughead waved the others on ahead of them. He had already tasked some of the serpents with guard duty at Betty's house it would be best if they arrived first to make sure the house was still empty and safe.

They sat Betty down in the grass with Jughead helping to hold her up. Veronica reached into her purse and pulled out a bottle of water.

"Hey B, drink some of this. I promise we are almost home you just have to keep going a bit further okay?" Veronica said attempting to hand the water to Betty.

With a shaking hand Betty slowly reached out and took the bottle from Veronica. She took a hesitant sip and then handed it back without saying a word. Jughead could feel her shivering beneath his touch and he pulled her closer to him in an attempt to shield her nearly naked body from the cool night air. When the shivering didn't stop he pulled off his Serpent jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders as she shivered against him.

"Betty do you think you can walk the rest of the way?" Veronica asked, kneeling down to be eye level with her friend.

Betty looked back at her with bloodshot eyes. She seemed to be more aware of herself now, perhaps the cold air had awakened her from her drug induced delirium.

"Anything for my king" Betty said as she began to try to stand up.

Betty didn't make it to her feet as he legs gave out and she slumped back to the ground and into the arms of Jughead. Veronica and Jug looked at each other with worried expressions on their faces.

"We need to get her out of the cold and then we need to get these drugs out of her system." Jughead said, fear evident in his shaky tone as he spoke.

He scooped Betty up into his arms and carried her all the way back to the Cooper house. Veronica followed closely behind praying that her father hadn't irreparably damaged her best friend. She would never be able to forgive him for his crimes.

Later that night once they had settled Betty into bed and made sure she was sleeping peacefully, Jughead wandered outside where he saw Veronica sitting alone on the front step.

"She's sleeping now. I don't know how things will go from here but at least for now we have her back and everyone is safe." Jughead stood next to Veronica, looking out into the dark street. Even Elm Street, the place he thought was a sanctuary for Riverdale's upper class felt like a place of danger and mystery in the early hours of the morning.

"I still can't believe my father did this. He threatened those I love the most and would have destroyed the town that we all love, only to stroke his own cancerous ego. This place is our home, and you guys are my family, and I will never let him get in the way of that again. My father will not take everything I have built away from me. I hope he rots in prison." Veronica said, her voice pained with betrayal and sorrow.

"I understand how it feels when your own family becomes the thing that hurts you the most. He may be your dad, but family isn't all about blood." Jughead said.

They remained outside in silence, thankful for the moment of peace amidst the chaos of the last few hours. Soon Betty would wake up and they would be faced with the problem of how to get their friend back from the clutches of the Gargoyle King's drugs.


	12. Chapter 12

Betty lay asleep in her bed. She was so still that Jughead sometimes worried for a moment whether she was still breathing. No matter how hard he tried Jughead could not fall asleep. His mind was reeling as he finally took a moment to process what they had gone through to get her back. Now he was beginning to wonder how much Betty had gone through during her confinement at the hands of Hiram Lodge. After giving up on sleep, Jughead sat in Betty's room while she quietly slept even as the sun began to come up. Jughead did not know when, but eventually his eyes closed, and he drifted off.

When he woke up a few hours later and sunlight was streaming through a crack in the curtains covering Betty's bedroom window. He pulled out his phone to check the time. It was 9am and he felt no more rested now than he had before his nap.

Turning to Betty he smiled when he found her still sleeping. Her chest rose and fell as she inhaled and exhaled meaning she was alive and he could stop worrying for now. Jughead took a few tentative steps toward her bed and reached his hand out gently to touch the soft skin of Betty's arm. But, just as his hand made contact with the skin on her arm Betty began to scream in terror.

Jughead jumped backwards as the door flew open and Cheryl and Veronica stormed into the room.

"What happened? Is she awake? Why didn't you come get us?" Veronica said her eyes darting between where Betty lay and where Jughead stood looking horrified.

"I don't know she was sleeping, I just barely touched her arm, and she started screaming." Jughead said staring back at Veronica.

Cheryl made her way over to her cousin.

"She is still asleep. It seems like she's having some kind of nightmare." Cheryl said after a quick evaluation of her cousin's state.

Jughead again approached the bed and realized that Betty had broken out into a cold sweat, her breathing had become erratic and she was muttering nonsense. She still remained asleep, but he agreed with Cheryl's assessment.

"That definitely looks like someone having a pretty intense nightmare." Jughead said.

"Should we wake her up?" Veronica asked.

"Wait, before we do anything, Veronica I did what you asked. I found the Sisters' secret stash of drugs. I got fizzle rocks and the other new stuff. But there was something else, I encountered another rouge nun when I went looking for the drugs. I contained her easily and grilled her for some info I think you two should hear."

"What is it Cheryl? Will it help Betty?" Jughead asked.

"The nun said that they don't know what happens when you detox from the new drug. Apparently, Betty was their first guinea pig. They had been giving it to her for a while, its supposed to make the person that ingests it extremely suggestible, but it is also some pretty heavy stuff. She said there could be lasting effects even if we stop dosing her."

Jughead put his hands on his hips and bit his tongue. Now was not the time to lose control, he had to keep it together if they were going to have any hope of figuring this out.

"At least that explains why she didn't fight back and all that Gargoyle King gibberish she has been mumbling. I knew B wouldn't break that easy." Veronica said.

"I guess we will just have to hope that she will be okay after a few days of detox." Jughead replied, brow furrowed, and the corners of his mouth pulled downward into a deep and worried frown.

It had been three days and Betty was finally returning to her old self. The first day had been the hardest, she had slept through most of it, but she recalled waking up confused and drenched in sweat. While she slept her mind was plagued with horrible dreams that left her terrified. In her dreams the King was angry with her for escaping and he had dragged her back into a dark room at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. He would torture her and try to get her to tell him who had helped her escape, but Betty did not have any answers for him. She owed her allegiance to her new King, the Serpent King, who had won her fair and square through a duel with the Gargoyle King. It wasn't until the second day later in the evening where she finally woke up, conscious of the world around her. This was the first time she noticed a dark figure in a shadowy corner of her bedroom watching over her. It was also the first time she noticed that she was back in her bedroom at her house on Elm Street. When the figure noticed her awakened state and stepped closer to her bed she saw, with great relief that it was Jughead.

They had spent a while talking, Jughead explained to her how they had found her and planned a rescue mission. She didn't talk much about her experience at the Sisters' and Jughead didn't press her for information. Betty had looked pale and exhausted and quickly became too tired for their conversation to continue. Veronica had brought her some simple foods to eat since none of them could determine when she had last eaten. Betty tried to consume the toast and apple slices, but her stomach was not cooperative, and she had thrown up shortly after eating them. Jughead gave her a cursory explanation of the drugs that she had been given and told her that the sickness and exhaustion she felt were largely a product of withdrawals. She had fallen back to sleep shortly after and did not wake again until the morning of the third day.

When Betty awoke again, she found herself alone. She sat up slowly in her bed and sat still for a moment to get her bearings. The nausea she had felt the previous day had passed and she was left feeling run down and sore. Her head hurt but the pain was manageable, so Betty decided it was time for her to get out of bed. She swung her legs over the edge of the mattress and shakily got to her feet. Taking a few slow steps toward her bedroom door Betty noticed that she felt very weak. However, her mind was consumed with thoughts of a hot shower and fresh clothes so she continued on to the bathroom to do just that.

Jughead had been downstairs in the living room working on his writing. He sat comfortably on the Cooper's couch with his laptop perched on his legs, fingers clacking away at the keys. He turned his head slightly toward the stairs when he heard the sound of a door closing upstairs. There was nobody in the house other than himself and Betty, the only other people around were the two Serpents he had tasked with keeping an eye on the house externally. Moments later he heard the sound of the shower starting and he realized that Betty must be awake and out of bed. He decided to remain on the couch knowing that a few moments alone to clean up and collect her thoughts would be good for Betty.

When he heard the shower turn off Jughead headed into the kitchen and began searching for something small that he could offer Betty for breakfast. She would no doubt need to eat something to help her get some strength back. He rummaged through the fridge and a couple cupboard until he found a few things he thought she might be able to eat. Jughead popped a couple slices of bread in the toaster and began to brew a fresh pot of coffee. The coffee was mostly for himself since he hadn't gotten more than a couple hours of sleep in the last few days.

He was nearly finished frying some eggs for them when he heard light footsteps enter the kitchen. Jughead turned away from the stove and saw Betty. Her hair was still wet from the shower and her face had a troubled expression on it but Jughead was still overwhelmed with relief when he saw her. She smiled weakly at him, glancing at the mess he had made in the kitchen attempting to cook breakfast.

"I thought you might be hungry." He said taking a few steps toward her.

Jughead was shocked when she immediately closed the distance between them and collapsed into his arms. He held her in a tight hug, and she held him as tightly as she could, taking in the familiar smell of his clothes and finally feeling like she was safe.

"I missed you so much Jug. Thank you for saving me." Betty whispered to him as they embraced.

"You, Betty Cooper, are my Serpent Queen. What kind of king would I be if I let someone get away with stealing you away from me? Now, I have cooked a breakfast fit for a queen, and I would love it if you could try to eat some of it for me. Sit down and I will bring you some sustenance."

Betty walked over to the table and took a seat while Jughead prepared a plate of food for each of them. He brought the plates to the table and sat down across from her.

"Make sure you eat the eggs before they get cold." Jughead said with a smile. He was happy to finally spend time with his girlfriend who finally seemed like herself again.

Jughead watched her discreetly as they ate. He made lighthearted conversation with Betty, carefully avoiding any of the topics she may not want to talk about yet. There would be a time and place for that conversation later. Right now, his most pressing concern was the fact that Betty silently sat there and ate her scrambled eggs, but only the scrambled eggs, until they were gone, and she only had toast and bacon left on her plate.

It wouldn't have been anything suspicious if not for the fact that Jughead knew, with one hundred percent certainty, that Betty liked to make bacon and egg sandwiches with all the separate foods on the plate. He had watched her do so on every occasion that they had eaten this breakfast together.

"Hey, Betty, this is probably a weird thing for me to ask but why did you eat all your eggs first? I thought you liked to put them on the toast." Jughead asked.

Betty stopped eating and looked at Jughead. He had missed seeing her beautiful eyes staring back at him.

"Isn't that what you wanted me to do? I ate them before they got cold. I promise not even the last bite was cold." Betty said.

Just looking at her face was enough for Jughead to understand that she was serious. She looked fearful, it was the same expression you might see on the face of a dog being scolded, and he realized that Betty still wasn't quite herself.

Jughead set his fork down and clasped his hands together nervously. He had more questions that needed answers sooner rather than later.

"Betty you don't have to tell me if it's too difficult right now but I would really like to know what happened to you while you were trapped at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy."

"There's not much to tell, they gave me food and a place to sleep. A doctor gave me medicine for something because I guess I was sick. In return we just had to obey the King's orders, attend to his needs, and help out around the property. They would punish us if we didn't obey, I am certain I would be in that room right now if another king hadn't come and taken me away. You have given me a new purpose, a new kingdom and a new king to worship. You have slain the Gargoyle King and thus you are entitled to his power, and me. Just tell me what you need, I could easily be your bride instead. I only want to serve you and devote my life to your cause." Betty said, speaking so seriously that Jughead almost laughed thinking she must be using sarcasam.

It all would have sounded so ridiculous if he wasn't aware that she was telling him exactly what she thought the truth was. She sounded like Ethel did when he was forced to take her to the hospital. Completely delusional.

Jughead choked down the fear that he could feel building within him and forced himself to look at Betty as if nothing was wrong.

"For now, all I need you to do is stay put and rest here while I run some errands. I will come back later with pizza and we can watch a movie together. But you have to promise that you will not leave this house no matter what. I have Serpents outside to keep you safe, so just relax, I will be back before you know it."

Betty nodded making it clear she understood his instructions. With that affirmation Jughead stood up and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before grabbing his jacket and heading out the front door. As he walked to where his bike was parked, he made a phone call to Veronica.

"Hey Jughead! What's up how is Betty doing?" Veronica asked when she picked up the phone.

"She's feeling better but something is wrong. We need to talk can you meet me at Pop's?"

"Sure, I am in the speakeasy already so meet me down here. Is everything okay?" Veronica asked.

"Not exactly. I will explain when I get there." Jughead said. After dropping his phone back into his pocket, he hopped onto his bike and sped off down the street.


End file.
